South Sydney are preparing to offer Wayne Bennett a three-year deal as early as next week as the veteran coach weighs up a return to the Rabbitohs.
It comes as Parramatta held a scheduled board meeting on Wednesday night at which it was decided not to follow up on approaches from third parties allegedly acting on behalf of Bennett.
Sources with knowledge of the situation, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely, told the Herald the Eels had been made aware that Bennett had interest in exploring the possibility of joining Parramatta if they moved on from coach Brad Arthur.
The Eels, however, won’t rush into a decision on Arthur’s future despite the Rabbitohs pushing hard for Bennett’s services after terminating the contract of Jason Demetriou on Tuesday.
Parramatta powerbrokers are conscious of the injury predicament that has hampered Arthur’s ability to get the best out of his football team, with Mitchell Moses’ long-term foot injury this week compounded by a knee injury to skipper Clint Gutherson. Eels chairman Sean McElduff declined to comment.
The Eels board want to give Arthur more time to prove he can dig the club out of the hole it currently finds itself in and won’t be pressured into a decision by South Sydney’s urgency to appoint a new coach.
The Rabbitohs are having internal discussions about Bennett’s return to the club and are willing to give him the three-year deal he has indicated he desires.
Sources told the Herald that the Rabbitohs board and owners have endorsed the pursuit of Bennett.
In his previous stint at South Sydney, former head of football Shane Richardson secured Bennett’s services knowing his assistant Jason Demetriou would take over after three seasons. The club made two preliminary finals and one grand final in those three seasons before he left the club.
Sources with knowledge of the situation said Bennett does not want to be restricted, as has been the case in his last two deals with South Sydney and the Dolphins, and wants a minimum three-year deal. The Rabbitohs are open to such a deal.
South Sydney have also shut down any chance of luring Bennett back to the club immediately in a bid to keep their faint finals hopes alive.
Bennett is the short-priced favourite to return for a second stint at Souths, with the club hopeful they can broker a deal in the next fortnight.
The Dolphins already have Bennett’s successor, Kristian Woolf, at the club, while an early exit for Bennett would allow him to start rebuilding the roster.
But Souths do not have the money in their $5.5m football department cap to accommodate Bennett this year – they just paid out $375,000 to Jason Demetriou – and are mindful not to undo all the hard work the Dolphins have done in establishing themselves in the top grade.
“We just won’t do it because we have too much respect for [chief executive] Terry Reader and the team at the Dolphins and what they’ve achieved the past few years – they’ve worked so hard to get to where they are now,” Souths chief executive Blake Solly said.
“We’re not that sort of club. We plan to sign a new coach, and we hope it is a matter of weeks rather than months … but it will be for next year.
“We’re more than happy with Ben and the coaching group we have for the remainder of this year.”
Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson welcomed the return of Bennett to the club’s arch rivals.
“It’s always good for the game to have Wayne coaching, the legend that he is, and I think it sounds like it’s already been done, doesn’t it? If Wayne says it’s, it’s done - I think that’s how it works,” Robinson said.
“I think they’ve rolled out the red carpet and said, ‘please say yes’, so I think if that’s the case then if Wayne wants it, and it was a great rivalry a few years ago. He’s the best coach that’s ever been, so it’s a pretty clear choice of his if he wants it.”
Replies
FMD!!!! You know why the board won't chase Bennett? Cause he's gonna embarrass these fools in the media. Bunch and f fuckwits. Let's say BA digs the eels out of this slump, what then? Extend him? They can go f**k themselves, I'm done.
I feel exactly the same as you...
BAs has had more lives than a cat....
He's nearly impossible to get rid of, maybe he's a coachroach?
Frank, three things in life that can survive a nuclear holocaust.
1) Cockroaches
2) Twinkies
3) Brad Arthur
He will eat twinkies while training the cockroaches to front load their effort to kill time with nothing else in existence.
Haha #3....
They will, cannot have a coach go into a year off-contract. It stuffs up recruitment. Imagine giving BA til mid year 2025, most of the players sign elsewhere. He comes good and extend, but oh wait you need to sign players to replace those that left.
Again, i am beating a dead horse myself but i stand by it. The injuries and maybe also the juniors winning SG Ball and all another year older will save him.
If this is true. I'M DONE, too. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
Will DM my friends on the site so we can stay in touch.
I sat in the old stadium when Mick Cronin was the coach, a team full of nobodies, the only highlight was Jeff Fenech playing reserve grade one week and there was lucky to be 1000 people watching from the stand, but I had more passion and hope for the club than I do now.
You would have to be a fucking moron to support a team so passionately like the majority on here do and the mental anguish endured year on year knowing the power brokers don't want to go all in to win the competition. Why the fuck are we putting ourselves through this? Spend your time and hard earned money on better things amigos.
Sadly this is how I feel too.
Berty Boy hope you're well. Gee I was sitting there watching Jeff Fenech warmup - what about his shoulder pads?
Hope you're well Bert,
If this story is true f me...my membership is going to be cut off me thinks for 2025.
Cancelled my membership last week and in the process of packing all my jerseys and other supporter wear to send to the club with a great big dog shit on top.
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